The monitoring station was dimly lit, filled with the soft hum of machines and the flickering glow of countless screens. At the center stood Evaluator Laila, her piercing gaze locked onto a large display showcasing the ongoing battles.

  Her focus was on Kai Nakamura, who was engaged in a brutal skirmish. He had ventured deep into a territory dominated by orcs, where a Field Boss—the Orc Chief—stood at the heart of a fortified encampment. The chief had just wiped out an entire party of applicants who had attempted to take it down.

  The evaluator's eyes narrowed.

  "So, he's challenging a boss zone alone… Interesting."

  Then, a staff member called out from across the room.

  "Ma'am, I have something you need to see."

  Laila turned as the staffer, visibly tense, pointed to a monitor displaying footage of Rob. More specifically, the moment he evolved his ring.

  Her gaze darkened.

  Displayed on the screen was a Unique-rank item—

  [Grim Reaper's Ring]

  The staffer swallowed hard. "Ma'am, an applicant has somehow acquired one of the banned items from our database."

  A tense silence filled the room.

  "My team ran a final check on the shop's item database yesterday. This item… it wasn't there."

  Laila's expression froze—then twisted into restrained fury.

  A pulse of blinding light exploded from beneath her feet, illuminating the entire station.

  Her voice thundered. "Who made the final modifications!?"

  The air in the room grew suffocating.

  "I swear, if you don't come forward, you will not leave this room alive."

  The staff members trembled, exchanging panicked glances.

  Laila's voice dropped to a venomous whisper. "I'm still generous. Show yourself now, and you'll be properly fired—with severance pay. Otherwise…"

  Her golden eyes burned.

  "I'll sever your head."

  A long, agonizing pause—then, finally, a shaking hand rose from the crowd.

  A pale-faced staff member stepped forward, drenched in sweat. "I—I did it, ma'am…"

  Instantly, Laila vanished.

  A flash of light—then, in the blink of an eye, she materialized behind him, pinning him against the wall by the throat.

  The staffer gasped, his legs dangling above the floor.

  Her voice was icy. "You? Who ordered you?"

  He struggled, choking, barely managing to stutter, "O—only m—"

  Before he could finish, her other hand formed a blade of pure light, pressing against his throat.

  "WHO. DID. IT?"

  Then—

  A shadow slithered from the ceiling, descending like a living entity.

  Slowly, a man dressed in a sleek black suit emerged from the darkness.

  Executive Marlo.

  "Tsk, tsk. No need to be so cruel to your staff, Laila."

  Laila's gaze snapped to him. Without hesitation, she lunged.

  A blinding flurry of light-infused strikes lashed out at Marlo, but he effortlessly dodged, his movements fluid and precise.

  "Oh my, such a fiery temper for a 'warrior of light,'" he mused with a smirk.

  Her final strike halted at his neck, the sheer intensity of her glare burning into him.

  "I warned you last time, Marlo."

  Marlo chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender.

  "I was merely… confirming my suspicions." He adjusted his tie, then smirked. "After all, a dog always returns to its master. And I was right."

  His smirk deepened as if amused by his own thoughts.

  Then, with a graceful bow, he murmured, "That was all, Laila-chan. My 'personal' investigation is over."

  Before she could respond, his form melted into the shadows—and he was gone.

  Laila stood there, motionless.

  For the first time, a flicker of uncertainty crossed her face.

  She rubbed her neck.

  She was worried.

  Laila dismissed her lingering worries. Now wasn't the time.

  She turned back to the staff monitoring Rob. The screen displayed a live feed of him controlling two applicants like puppets, wielding a prototype magic rifle.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  The staff swallowed hard. "Ma'am… do we remove the ring?"

  Laila exhaled sharply. "It's too late for that now."

  She crossed her arms, eyes narrowing as she analyzed the situation. Rob's control over the two applicants was disturbingly efficient—he wasn't just commanding them; he was training them like assets.

  This wasn't some reckless player abusing an exploit.

  He was using his current circumstance to his own advantage.

  Laila turned to another terminal. "For now, issue an immediate request to C-01T. Tell the AI to review every item in the database and cross-check all code modifications. Double-check the item registry and make sure no sub-AI controlling monsters has been tampered with."

  The staff nodded quickly, typing commands.

  Laila's golden eyes gleamed. "In the meantime, I'll have a quick chat with Ciano."

  With that, she turned on her heel and left the monitoring station.

  Rob crouched behind a rocky outcrop, watching from the sidelines.

  The Minotaur—a towering beast of muscle and rage—was locked in battle with his two puppets: the Samurai and the Archer.

  Every roar and clash of steel sent vibrations through the ground.

  Rob admired his new Epic-ranked boots, he bought for 849 coins. The 950 coins from the Samurai had been a welcome surprise.

  For a moment, he considered taking all of his puppets' earnings for himself.

  But then he shook his head. "No… better to raise my own warriors."

  [ Wind Justice Boots ]

  Rank: Epic

  +60% Increased Movement Speed

  Wind Step (Passive): While moving at high velocity, the user hovers above the ground, stepping on the wind. (+60% additional movement speed) ]

  Rob grinned. "Hell yeah, this'll let me keep up."

  The Samurai fluidly dodged the Minotaur's massive axe, but his focus wavered—he didn't anticipate the beast's sudden charge.

  CRASH!

  The impact sent him flying, crashing into the dirt with a grunt.

  The Archer responded instantly, unleashing a rapid barrage of energy-infused arrows.

  The Minotaur roared, raising its thick arms to shield its face.

  Rob took aim. One precise shot.

  His magic rifle crackled as he fired a spinning fireball, accelerating through the barrel like a burning drill.

  Direct hit to the Minotaur's knee.

  The beast howled, but its thick hide held firm—it wasn't enough to pierce.

  Instead of retreating, the Minotaur's muscles bulged.

  Its hooves stomped the ground, sending cracks in all directions.

  Then—

  It leaped.

  The colossus soared into the air, its massive axe raised for a vertical execution strike.

  Rob's eyes widened. "Shit—!"

  He turned to the Samurai. "GET AWAY, NOW!"

  But the order came too late.

  The Samurai didn't dodge.

  Instead, he leaped toward the Minotaur.

  Rob's breath caught.

  A crimson flash.

  One clean stroke.

  The Minotaur's head flew through the air, separated from its body.

  A perfect severance.

  The headless corpse crashed into the dirt with a mighty THUD.

  The Samurai landed gracefully, kneeling like a battle-hardened warrior.

  Rob exhaled—then grinned and started clapping.

  "Goddamn. That was badass."

  System Notification:

  [ You have participated in eliminating the C-Rank Field Boss: Raging Minotaur. ][ You've been rewarded:

  x500 Coins ]

  Rob's eyes widened. "Wait…"

  Then, his face twisted in horror. He forgot to Soul Reap the boss.

  "NOOOO!"

  Dramatically, he banged his fists against the Samurai's chest.

  The Samurai and Archer exchanged confused glances, their expressions unreadable.

  Rob sighed in mock despair, "That was free soul energy, wasted!"

  He groaned but quickly moved on. No use crying over spilled blood.

  As he turned, another notification popped up.

  [ Puppet 1 Thoughts: What about the 25% of the rewards you said? ]

  Rob blinked, then waved dismissively. "Just use them to buy gear, items, or whatever you need. It's better for me if you both get stronger anyway."

  The Samurai and Archer nodded. Without hesitation, they sprinted off toward the next safe zone, their weapons gleaming in the moonlight.

  Rob, on the other hand, melted into the shadows.

  He activated his camouflage skill, his body blending into the environment.

  "Now then…"

  His lips curled into a grin.

  "I need more souls."

  Hunting for Prey

  The digital clock in his peripheral vision counted down:

  [ Zone Shrinks In: 12:37 ]

  Plenty of time.

  Rob sprinted in the opposite direction of his puppets, weaving through the dense foliage, his movement silent.

  After a few minutes of running, the landscape changed.

  The grassy plains opened up into swamplands, the air thick with humidity. The ground beneath his feet softened into damp mud, and in the distance, he could see large, reptilian silhouettes moving among the reeds.

  Then, another notification flashed.

  [ You are now entering the Territory of the Lizard Tribe. ]

  Rob smirked.

  "Finally."

  He crouched low, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

  "It's over, lizards—I have the high ground."

  The irony wasn't lost on him. This was their domain, their hunting ground.

  But he had something better.

  Lightning crackled at his fingertips, the static energy illuminating his wicked grin.

  A free AoE attack.

  "Let's see how you cold-blooded bastards handle this."

  Rob extended his hands, channeling crackling electricity into multiple lightning orbs. They shot through the humid air, spreading across the swamplands like a deadly web.

  CRACKLE—BOOM!

  The Lizardmen shrieked, their scaly bodies jerking violently as they were electrocuted. Some collapsed instantly, their bodies twitching as wisps of smoke curled from their charred skin.

  [ Soul Reap Activated ]

  Rob grinned as their souls were ripped from their bodies, glowing wisps rushing toward his ring like moths drawn to a flame.

  But he wasn't done yet.

  "A Soul for a Soul."

  The ring trembled, streams of weaker souls pouring out, spreading through the swamp like hungry shadows.

  Rob glanced at his mana bar—

  It was depleting way too fast.

  "What the hell—?!"

  The realization hit him.

  He miscalculated.

  He had assumed it cost 5 mana per minute.Instead, it was 5 mana per soul per minute.

  Dozens of souls. His mana was draining fast.

  He cut off the skill immediately, gritting his teeth as his mana bar halted just above empty.

  The spirits—dark, ghostly figures—continued their hunt, ripping souls from the struggling Lizardmen. Some of the stronger ones resisted, requiring two or more spirits to drag them down, their claws tearing at their spectral forms before being consumed entirely.

  And then—

  A familiar presence appeared among them.

  A spirit, darker than the rest.

  Rob's first victim.

  The first applicant he ever soul-reaped.

  The spirit floated toward him, its mouth moving silently, eyes burning with hatred.

  Rob couldn't make out the words, but he could feel the rage.

  A cold chill ran down his spine.

  Did that mean—?

  The applicants he successfully soul-reaped didn't return to their VR capsules?

  He shrugged off the thought.

  Not my problem.

  If they were stuck somewhere because of his ring, they'd probably be released when the game ended.

  Right?

  But before he could dwell on it any longer—

  SHNK!

  Pain.

  "AAAGH!"

  A spear suddenly pierced his shoulder, sending waves of agony through his body.

  Rob staggered back, gripping the shaft of the spear with trembling fingers. Blood seeped from the wound, hot and sticky.

  He turned his gaze—

  A tall group of Lizardmen stood before him.

  But these weren't just ordinary Lizardmen.

  They wore silver armor, their reptilian eyes gleaming with intelligence and cruelty.

  Elite warriors.

  Rob watched in horror as his spirits rushed toward them—only to be instantly slaughtered.

  The Lizardmen slashed through the ghosts effortlessly, their enchanted blades dispersing the spirits like mist.

  Shit.

  Rob ripped the spear out of his shoulder, gasping in pain.

  Blood dripped onto the swamp floor.

  He had been too careless.

  He underestimated this place.

  And now—he was in trouble.

  Mana Conversion.

  Rob forcefully absorbed the remaining souls, refilling his mana bar to full.

  Then—

  "Heal!"

  A golden glow surrounded his wound, the flesh slowly knitting itself back together.

  His breathing was ragged, his mind racing.

  This wasn't just some random elite mob.

  If the Lizard Chieftain hadn't shown up, that meant these guys were his best warriors.

  And they were coming for his head.